"The Purpose of the Gospel Accounts"

Recently I had a man that was teaching an adult bible class where he attended called and shared with me what he thought of the four gospel accounts. He made the statement that he didn't see why there had to be 4 versions of the life of Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) retelling the same things over and adding a few different twists and turns the other didn't. He then ended with, "It's rather boring!" It revealed his lack of understanding and insight.

What is the purpose of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John's accounts? Why do we have them written? Each writer has a purpose. These different letters weren't just about the life and work of Jesus told with a few added twists. They had a specific purpose. Too many times we know what someone says but we might not understand why they said it. That's the way with these four gospel accounts.

First Matthew. Matthew is Jewish and written to the Jewish believer. Matthew's focus is on Jesus the Messiah! That's why his book starts with "the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah." (Matt. 1:1) The book proves Jesus was the Messiah that had been prophesied about all those years.

Next Mark. Mark too is written to the Jewish believer. Mark is the earliest of the four letters written, around 50 AD. Mark's focus is on Jesus the Son of God. His purpose was to stress the actions and work of Christ Jesus through miracles to prove His Sonship. It is a powerful book explaining a powerful Savior.

Now comes Luke. Luke is the only Gentile writer in the Bible. (He wrote Acts also.) Luke is written to the Gentile believer (us specifically) to show us the accurate accounts and working of the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke is a little more detailed as a Gentile wouldn't be as in-tune with the OT Scriptures. 

Finally John's gospel. John is written to the church as a whole. It is written targeting faith and showing in detail the God side of Jesus. We see it from the first five verses of the book. John is specific in pointing to faith and that faith wrapped around the truth.

Each account had a specific target of people in the church. They are rich. They are filled with more than just a lesson to pull together. They are Jesus, the Son of the living God, our Savior, our Redeemer and Refuge. Take some time and read with these thoughts in mind. It will open your eyes to some new things.